


A Welcomed Homecoming

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, domestic as fuuuuuuck, with a cameo by the washing machine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 20:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19092166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: Rafael makes it home after several flight delays, and domestic bliss occurs.





	A Welcomed Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [icedcoffeebro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/icedcoffeebro/gifts).



Sonny wakes up when he hears the key in the lock. He yawns and stretches, fumbling into a sitting position just as Rafael opens the door, moving like he hasn't slept and pulling his suitcase behind him as he drops his carry-on next to the front closet.

"I said don't wait up," Rafael says in greeting, squinting at Sonny like he's not supposed to be sitting on their couch in their living room.

"I slept," Sonny replies, gesturing towards his hair. He's certain it's pointing in seven different directions, and the way Rafael stares at his head for a few seconds like he can't really see it confirms for Sonny that Rafael didn't sleep on the flight. He checks his phone. It's just after six in the morning. Rafael was supposed to have been on a plane some twenty hours ago. 

"Did you sleep at all?" he asks as he stands. He pushes Rafael's hair off his forehead and looks him over. He's got two days of stubble, and exhaustion is written all over his face. He doesn't smell great, either.

"Caught a nap waiting for my connecting flight in Memphis," Rafael replies. He hums happily when Sonny kisses him. "Hi. I'm home."

"I'm glad," Sonny says. He kisses Rafael again. "You smell like you slept in an airport. Take a shower, and I'll make you something to eat."

Rafael briefly looks like he wants to argue, but it drops off his face quickly. He leaves his suitcase in its awkward spot in front of the door and walks towards the bathroom, peeling off his polo shirt and dropping it in front of the laundry closet as he passes. 

Sonny grabs the extendable handle of the suitcase and rolls it to the laundry closet. He opens the door and flips up the lid for the washing machine, then lifts the suitcase onto the top of the dryer, careful not to drop it down too hard. He sorts things out quickly. Jeans, polos, khakis, sleepwear, and underwear go into the machine. The socks (various colors) and two button-up shirts Rafael had packed for the conference go in the hamper tucked between the washer and dryer. They'll get washed in the next load of delicates.

Sonny drops in a laundry pod, adds fabric softener to the dispenser, and closes the machine, flicking it to 'regulars' before he closes the laundry closet. Rafael can put his suitcase away later. He prefers to do a final check of all the pockets himself. He can hear the shower running when he shuts the closet doors and walks into the kitchen.

He ignores Rafael's carry-on. They won't trip on it when they get up later, and Sonny knows from experience there's nothing in there that needs to be cleaned or sorted.

The fridge is fully stocked, an errand Sonny had tackled before Rafael's flight got delayed, then delayed, then delayed. He'd planned to make picadillo to welcome Rafael home--stealing a move Lucia had started when Rafael had left for Harvard--but the delays had cancelled that plan, and Sonny had used the ground beef to make bolognese instead. 

He pulls the leftover sauce from the fridge and writes GROUND BEEF on the magnetic notepad his mother had gleefully slapped on the fridge the first time they'd had her over after moving in together. It's next to a magnet Lucia had gifted them during the same visit; something she'd found on Etsy. It reads, "You're married to the same person after your wedding as you were in love with before." Rafael had read it, then turned away. Sonny had thanked Lucia and hugged her. He and Rafael had spent the next night discussing the point of the magnet and why Lucia had felt it was a proper housewarming gift.

"We're not even engaged!" Rafael had said, which told Sonny exactly why Rafael had disliked it.

"We could be," he'd replied without thinking. "Except I don't have a ring on me."

"Yes, that is clearly the problem," Rafael had responded, but the way he ducked his head to try and hide his smile had given him away. Sonny had proposed a week later, after they'd agreed how best to arrange their books in the office/guest room.

Sonny puts on a pot of water to boil and opens the lid on the bolognese. He sets it aside as he opens a cabinet and grabs spaghetti noodles. He'll pop it in the microwave after the water boils. If he warms it up forty-five seconds at a time, the sauce will still be warm when he drains the noodles, and Rafael can go to bed with a hot meal in his belly. 

The shower shuts off, and Sonny listens to the sounds of Rafael moving around. There's the rattle of the shower curtain and the drip from the bath faucet. Sonny opens the spaghetti in the silence that tells him Rafael is taking his towel off the rack and drying himself. The sound of water starts up again, this time in the sink, and Sonny smiles to himself as he pictures Rafael shaving. He'll be more awake thanks to the shower and ready to get the bristle off his face.

The water for the spaghetti starts pushing up small bubbles, and Sonny turns to the fridge again. He takes out the decaf cold brew he'd put together after Rafael had texted him he'd actually made it onto a plane. The taste of coffee will keep Rafael awake enough to eat. The lack of caffeine will let him fall asleep as soon as they both slide into bed.

The bubbles in the pot get big enough to be called a boil at the same time as Rafael opens the bathroom door. Sonny dumps in the spaghetti noodles and listens to the soft sounds of Rafael walking towards their bedroom. He'll come out in less than a minute, Sonny knows, dressed in worn pajama pants and a ratty T-shirt. 

Finding out Rafael prized comfort over fashion in his sleepwear had been the first moment Sonny knew he was moving past lust and into love. Rafael, soft and warm from a shower, the cotton or flannel of his pajama pants worn thin in the knees and butt, his t-shirts faded or with bleach stains or with collars frayed from wear, had taken Sonny from 'I want to fuck him' into 'I want to hold him' so seamlessly, it'd taken him weeks to realize there'd been a change at all.

Rafael walks into the main part of the apartment still pulling his shirt over his head. Sonny smiles at the sight of him. He still looks exhausted, but there's a lightness to his step that wasn't there when he walked in the door. He sees Sonny looking and smiles in return. "Dinner for breakfast?" he asks, as Sonny puts the bolognese in the microwave.

"I figured you probably don't even know what time it is," Sonny replies.

Rafael snorts quietly and sits at the dining table. He stretches, groaning softly. "I know what time it is, but I don't believe it," he says. 

Sonny pours some cold brew into a mug and carries it over. He presses a kiss into Rafael's damp hair as he puts the mug in front of him. "It's decaf," he says. 

Rafael turns and presses his face into Sonny's side. Sonny feels the ghost of a kiss through his T-shirt. "Thank you for doing this. You must be exhausted."

"I got some sleep," Sonny says. "I'm okay." The microwave beeps, and he steps away. "I'll still come to bed with you for a couple of hours, though."

"Good."

Sorry stirs the sauce and restarts the microwave. He stirs the noodles as well. "Was the conference good?" he asks.

"Outside of the three tornado warnings, It was solid," Rafael says. "There were an interesting panel about prosecuting gang members. I talked with one of the panelists after, and she added me to a group email she set up with people from East St. Louis and Little Rock to share ideas and case notes."

"Just promise me you won't teach them it's okay to give out their home address," Sonny says.

"Yes, dear," Rafael deadpans, and Sonny doesn't need to look over to know Rafael is rolling his eyes.

They fall into silence as the food finishes. Sonny plates it for them both and carries the plates to the table. He refills Rafael's cold brew, and they eat in the same silence. By the time Rafael eats his last bite, he's slumped forward, the exhaustion clearly winning again.

Sonny finishes his own food and gathers the dirty dishes. "Go get into bed," he says. "I'll be right behind you."

Rafael nods and stands, pausing for a moment at the edge of the hallway to yawn hugely. "Don't let me sleep past two," he says. "I don't want to completely ruin my sleep schedule."

"Okay," Sonny agrees as he runs water over the dishes so he can leave them to soak. He turns out the lights and checks the locks. On his way into the bathroom to brush his teeth, he pauses at the laundry closet and turns off the buzzer for the washing machine. Rafael will be dead to the world the moment he lies down, but Sonny doesn't want to chance anything waking him up until he's ready.

Rafael's just finished brushing his teeth when Sonny walks into the bathroom. He gives Sonny an exhausted smile as they pass one another. Sonny brushes his teeth and takes his meds, flicking off the light and the fan in the bathroom as he heads to bed himself.

Rafael's under the covers, eyes half-open and clearly fighting the urge to sleep. Sonny clicks off the bedroom light and crawls in next to him, settling so they're nose-to-nose.

"Good night," Sonny whispers, brushing their noses together.

"Night," Rafael replies, eyes sliding shut. He's asleep almost instantly, and Sonny watches relaxation replace the exhaustion on his face before he falls asleep himself.

**Author's Note:**

> A birthday fic for the delightful icedcoffeebro, who deserves the softest of fics!


End file.
